The Diaries of Count Harry Kessler

Harry Kessler was a leading cultural figure, author, diplomat and politician, whose diaries span 56 of the most tumultuous years in history. From the days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire through to the rise of Hitler, Kessler observed modernity in the making. Originally broadcast on 5/7/12.

Credits

Comments (1)

DrGideonPolya :

03 Jan 2013 10:11:16am

Interesting interview. It was shocking to hear of German enthusiasm for war in the halcyon days before 1914 (no doubt matched by similar English enthusiasm). The pre-Nazi German anti-Jewish anti-Semitism (e.g. of Kessler) was matched by similar prejudice in the English world e.g. that expressed by icons such as Agatha Christie, Somerset Maugham and H.G. Wells that is like a slap in the face when encountered. Indeed in the 1930s and 1940s there was great opposition in the British Empire, the US and in Australasia against accepting Jewish refugees from Nazism e.g. according to Professor Sir Martin Gilbert ("Jewish History Atlas"), in 1933-1945 Australia accepted only 9,000 Jewish refugees and Jewish refugees were almost entirely excluded from Alaska, New Zealand, British India, South Africa (1936-1945), British Rhodesia, and British East Africa.

The pejorative comments made by an ABC pooh-bah against our most eminent Jewish citizen, Sir Isaac Isaacs (mentioned by Phillip), was par for the course - see issues of "The Bulletin", Chapter 17 of "Jane Austen and the Black Hole of British History" (now available for free perusal on the web) and Humphrey McQueen's "A New Britannia". Sir Isaac Isaacs was dead opposed to racist Zionism and the looming Palestinian Genocide, stating (1946) that "The honour of Jews throughout the world demands the renunciation of political Zionism". He was accordingly subject to vilification back then by racist Zionists as well as by traditional, non-Jewish anti-Semites. Today, like other decent, anti-racist Jews (e.g. Google "Jews Against Racist Zionism"), he would be subject to horrendous, false, defamatory abuse from racist Zionists and their pro-war, anti-Arab anti-Semitic, US lackey Lib-Lab supporters (e.g. Google "Australian Labor's new anti-Semitism").